Category Archives: Tips

Translating your content into multiple languages can help you expand your business to global markets and increase your brand prominence abroad. Quality is key to your global success, therefore you should make sure the translations you get are accurate, error-free and clearly understood by your target audience.

Although there is no specific formula you can use to measure quality, especially in a language that you don’t speak, there are several ways to ensure a positive outcome before, during and after the translation process. Use this checklist of quick tips and you’ll be able to effectively speak to your customers in their native language.

Be willing to invest in translation: If you think translation quality is not important, then think again! Low-quality translations may not only damage your company’s reputation but may also cost you a lot of time and money. If you want to get high-quality, professional translation, you need to have a budget for it.

Choose your translation provider wisely: With so many translation agencies out there, it’s hard to know which one you should trust. But if you do your homework, you can find some useful information that will help you pick the right translation provider for your organization. Make sure this provider has expertise in your industry by checking their current clients.

Plan ahead: Once you decide to have your content translated, you should contact your translation provider as soon as possible. Remember, a good translation takes time – it may take the same time as creating the content. If you expect large volumes or short turnaround times, you should inform your translation provider in advance, so they can plan their resources accordingly.

Prepare your content for translation: A great translation starts with a great source text. You cannot expect the translation to improve upon the poor quality of the original. Ask from your copywriters to be concise and clear, and to double-check the content they create for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. When it comes to software strings, try to include comments and/or screenshots, so as to provide the translators with as much context as possible. This will help you prevent back-and-forth communications and speed up the translation process.

Collaborate closely with your translation provider: Translation is a difficult process. Providing precise instructions, reference material, glossaries and style guides, not only could make this process easier, but it could also ensure high-quality results from the start. In case of queries or clarifications, try to answer to all questions promptly and clearly and, what is most important, listen carefully to your translators’ concerns and be open to their suggestions.

Use third-party evaluation services: A great way to assess the quality of your translated content is to have a third-party provider review it. Third-party reviews add value to your content if they are performed by experienced, in-country linguists who have a good understanding of the local market and your brand, are not focused on mere error detection, and approach the initial translation in a collaborative and not competitive way.

Ask your audience: The best way to evaluate the quality of your translated content is to ask feedback from your users. Consider adding a feedback/rating feature to find out whether your content is clearly understood. This way you will get useful information about the quality of your translations directly from your customers, and you will be able to improve your content.

When companies seeking to expand to foreign markets decide to use translation as an enabler of greater brand awareness and more sales, there is one thing that they should not overlook: What is their source content’s quality? And is it global-ready?

“Translation errors” are often a result of poorly written or unclear source text. How often don’t translators puzzle over the intended meaning of a sentence, on how to deal with inconsistent use of terminology, incorrect grammar structures, ambiguities, non-uniform style and other source related issues?

Often there is not the opportunity to obtain clarifications, and translators have to make an educated guess about the intended meaning or the desired approach relying on their research skills, professional experience and best judgment. And this could sometimes mean an incorrect translation or a target text that does not measure up.

When localization planning and timeframes allow for it, there can be multiple waves of questions and answers, with query resolution not always guaranteed. Especially for large scale projects, this can have a significant impact on cost, workflow, deadlines and product release.

Quality technical writing is a key factor in avoiding such situations. When creating your global market targeted material to be translated into several languages, there are some things you need to consider in order to ensure high translation quality, lower cost and faster speed.

After identifying your audience, defining your purpose, obtaining an in-depth knowledge of the material and organizing your thoughts, planning must focus on setting and using naming conventions for a consistent output. You can document these conventions, along with processes and terminology in the form of style guides and glossaries.

When it comes to the writing task itself, here is what you should keep in mind:

Time should be allowed for drafting, reviewing and editing.

The content should be translation friendly, meaning that the translator can get it right to the point. Clarity, brevity, simplicity and correct word choice for example, contribute to this point.

Prefer active voice for straight forward communication.

Define what may not be familiar (such as abbreviations, acronyms).

Avoid the use of jargon and idioms.

Make efficient use of words (eliminate redundancy, remove needless words).

Use consistent phrasing to say the same thing multiple times.

All these tips will make your content easier to translate, will speed-up the translation process and reduce editing rounds. Moreover, your original document will be accurate, precise and tightly-written, optimized for the domestic audience.

Moving on to the actual localization process and selecting the right partner is the next challenge. Choose wisely and trust your content to an experienced language services provider. They will use native, certified translators whose expertise matches your type of content, experienced project managers and industry-leading localization tools ensuring consistency, confidentiality and a high-quality output.

Are you considering taking your first steps in the global market, in an attempt to reach international audiences with your products or services? With the use of social media and the Internet, the world has become a much smaller place. Our society is globally connected and many people around the world can now access your products or services. But going global is no easy task! It requires time, effort and money. Read our 10 tips below and make sure you’re on the right track.

Analyze the situation. Before deciding to go global with your business ask yourself the following 2 questions: Is there enough of your target market in a given area to support business? Does your product have global appeal? If the answer to both questions is yes, then you can continue to Tip No2.

Do your homework. Research the marketplace you want to enter. Who are the key players? What is the competition like? What are the trends and preferences of the country in question? Performing an in-depth market research will help you determine your target audience and define your sales approach to better promote your brand.

Localize your brand.According to a survey conducted by Common Sense Advisory, named “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy: Why Language Matters on Global Websites”, 72.4% of consumers say they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language and 2% of consumers say that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price. Imagine that! Data shows that localizing content for specific markets multiplies the desired selling effect substantially and people are even willing to pay more if they receive information in their own language. Are you convinced already?

Use a professional translation agency from the early start. Whether you need an interpreter for your first corporate meeting or a complete localization of your website and marketing collateral, make sure to use professionals to achieve the desired effect. When you are dealing with business terminology, you’ll easily find out that “Google Translate” most probably won’t cover your needs. In fact, it can end up embarrassing your business and having the exact adverse effects from the ones you were hoping for. Also, by translating your content with Google Translate, you are uploading it to the Internet, so bye bye confidentiality! On the other hand, a language services provider will use native, certified translators whose expertise matches your type of content, experienced project managers and industry-leading localization tools ensuring consistency, confidentiality and reduced costs.

Make communications easy. If you’re aiming at global expansion, you’ll need to be in constant communication with distributors, sales reps and clients. Phone and e-mail communication can be impersonal, so start using alternatives like online-video conferencing.

Travel, travel, travel. As far as communication goes, Skype and FaceTime have helped a lot, but they are still not the same as speaking to your clients, sales reps and vendors face-to-face. Plan frequent visits to your target country to keep track of your operations’ progress.

Buy or partner up. The easiest way to enter a market affordably is to acquire a smaller business that already has local presence. This gives you instant market entry, inside knowledge of the target market and experienced quality staff.

Find the right Sales reps, Managers and Subject Matter Experts. This is both very important and very difficult. According to Eric Markowitz of Inc.com “finding the right people to help sell your product is often the difference between success and failure. If you have to choose between reps, pick a person who knows the market to someone who knows your product. Very often you can teach a person about a product or a brand, but it’s very hard to teach someone about a market.”

Study rules and regulations overseas. Research business regulations in each country you want to do business in, make sure your product does not violate any regulations and check all rules for trademarks and copyrights. Your company might be subject to unfamiliar regulations so you might want to prepare yourself.

Market your top products or services first. Your company might have a long list of amazing products but in order to break into a new market you have to invest your time and effort on the one product that will sell itself. When choosing this product, you should take into account its main differentiator that separates it from all the other products in the specific market.